Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, by firing four bullets from a handgun through a closed toilet door in his luxury home in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

The sentence was much lower than many had expected and was widely criticised. Public prosecutors had demanded the mandatory minimum for murder of 15 years. Steenkamp’s family, however, did not actively support their appeal.

Gerrie Nel, the lead state prosecutor, told the court on Friday that Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to convincingly explain why he fired the fatal shots.

“The respondent fired four shots through the door and never offered an acceptable explanation for doing so,” Nel said, adding that the sentence was “shockingly lenient”.

Pistorius has always maintained he fired in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind the door.

His defence argued that his disability – he had his lower legs amputated before his first birthday – and the mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances.

“I see a lot of prejudice against the accused from the state’s side,” Barry Roux, the former athlete’s main defence lawyer, said on Friday. “This trial and this process has been exhausted beyond any conceivable exhaustive process.”

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During sentencing hearings in June, a clinical psychologist called as a defence witness told the court in Pretoria that Pistorius was “a broken man”.

In her judgment, Masipa said the evidence she had heard convinced her Pistorius was not a violent person, was unlikely to reoffend and had shown remorse.

The judge said she had to balance the interests of society, the accused and relatives of the victim. Pistorius, she said, was “a fallen hero who has lost his career and been ruined financially. He cannot be at peace.”

Women’s rights activists disagreed. “The judgment is an insult to women. It sends the wrong message,” Jacqui Mofokeng of the African National Congress women’s league, told the Guardian after the sentencing in July.

Under South African law, Pistorius will be eligible for parole long before the end of the sentence.

The 29-year-old was treated for wrist injuries this month after apparently falling from his bed. Prison officials said he denied trying to kill himself.